AIR TRANSPORT
STRATEGY
Brazilian
airlines plot
another
merger
Further consolidation among
Brazilian airlines seems on the
cards as carriers position them
selves to counter the threat
posed by the TAM/Varig merger.
Once merged, the country's
two major airlines will hold a
dominant position in the domes
tic market with a share of over
60%. In response, second tier
carriers Gol Transportes Aereos
and Vasp are widely reported to
be holding informal discussions
about a similar move.
Transbrasil, which suspended
services two years ago but has
been looking to relaunch, is also
understood to be a partner in the
proposed merger.
Brazil's airport administration
authority Infraero has also sig
nalled its intention to join the
merger as a fourth partner by
waiving the $449 million debt
against the three carriers. "We
helped out in the TAMA/arig
merger and we are willing to do
so now, although as a partner
writing off their debts with
Infraero in exchange for a stake
in the new airline," says Infraero
president Carlos Wilson.
Meanwhile, TAM is continuing
to implement streamlining mea
sures to improve its financial
performance. After merging
international services that over
lapped Varig's network, the
carrier has placed four Airbus
A330-200s on lease. Two aircraft
will be operated for South
African Airways from this month,
while two more are being placed
with Abu Dhabi-based start-up
Etihad Airways next month.
Seven of TAM's fleet of over 40
Fokker 100s have been leased
to other South American carri
ers; four have reportedly been
placed with an unnamed
Uruguayan start-up airline and
the remaining three are ear
marked for Colombian start-up
Aerolineas Universal. The latter
plans to operate services from
Bogota to Latin American and
US destinations.
AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT EMMA KELLY / PERTH
Group in bid to allay fears
over Australian air safety
Unions raise concerns about light aircraft and large passenger aircraft sharing airspace
Australia's National Airspace System
Implementation Group (NAS IG)
last week met with the country's
pilot and air traffic controller uni
ons in a bid to allay fears that threa
tened to wreck its attempt at air
space reform. A main concern is
that airspace reclassification will
allow light aircraft and leisure fliers
to share airspace with commercial
instrument flight rules traffic.
The meeting came after the Aust
ralian and International Pilots Asso
ciation (AIPA) and the Australian
Federation of Air Pilots and Civil Air
(the Australian air traffic controllers'
association) wrote to transport min
ister John Anderson calling for the
next stage of NAS implementation
to be deferred due to "significant
flaws" which will result in "an over
all reduction in safety standards".
The NAS programme will see a
reform of the country's airspace pro
cedures and charting, modelled on
the US airspace system. Its support
ers say it will simplify procedures,
improve safety, reduce operator
costs and encourage participation
and compliance. Implementation
began in March, with major chan
ges - including airspace reclassifica
tion - planned for 27 November.
Pilots and controllers unions are
concerned that light aircraft will be
able to fly into the same airspace as
large passenger aircraft without rep
orting their whereabouts. "Obviou
sly, if you go from full air traffic con
trol separation to a situation where
pilots are responsible for 'see and
avoid' separation of unannounced
traffic, then safety must be affect
ed," says Capt Richard Woodward,
AIPA's technical and safety director.
But Mike Smith, executive director
of NAS IG, says a meeting with the
unions last week was "productive",
stressing that NAS will need all air
craft operating in class A, B, C and E
airspace above 10,000ft (3,050m) to
be fitted with a transponder.
Support for NAS has come, how
ever, from Australia's Aircraft Own
ers and Pilots Association, which
accuses pilots and controllers uni
ons of conducting "an unnecessary
scare campaign".
• The Australian government is
preparing to corporatise Airservices
Australia, with the air traffic services
provider hopeful that the process
will be completed by mid-2004.
PRODUCTION MICHAEL PHELAN /TOULOUSE
Airbus studies wing transfer switch
Airbus is to ship a set of A380 wings
to Liverpool, UK, next year as a con
tingency against possible problems
at Mostyn Docks. The manufacturer
has also revealed that it will increase
the amount of Glare material in the
aircraft's structure to save weight.
The A380's wings will travel by
barge down the River Dee from the
Broughton, UK, assembly facility for
transfer at Mostyn to the Ville de
Bordeaux ship for transportation to
St Nazaire and Pauillac, France.
However, the Mostyn plan may be
dependent on negotiations about
using the P&O Ferries berth, which
Airbus wants to use after abandon
ing plans for its own (Flight
International, 15-21 July).
Charles Champion, Airbus
executive vice president A380
programme, says the manufacturer
is considering the use of Liverpool
docks, which is the nearest to
Mostyn, as an alternative barge-to-
ship transfer location. "We're very
confident that we can use the P&O
berth, but we've got a contingency
Airbus says minor distortions on A380 fuselage sections will be corrected
just in case," says Champion.
Using Liverpool would require
some travel in open sea, says
Champion. "We've made modifica
tions that will allow us to use the
barge on the sea in calm weather."
Whatever the outcome of the talks,
Airbus will ship at least one set of
wings to Liverpool for a trial.
Meanwhile, Robert Lafontan, Air
bus senior vice president engineer
ing A380 programme, says Glare
will now be used for the A380's D-
nose vertical tail leading edge. "Bird-
strike testing in December last year
showed it had the right properties,"
he says, but he declines to reveal
weight savings. Airbus has released
73% of drawings to manufacturing.
Champion says the main manu
facturing problems have been min
or distortions on the wing and the
large fuselage (section 15/21) assem
blies, due to their size, weight and
material combination. "We'll cor
rect that with experience," he says.
16 14-20 OCTOBER 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com